It seems like there is non-stop news coming out of Tallahassee today, and we have not even touched on the viral discussions about a new logo. As we learned earlier in the day, courtesy of a report by Deadspin, Florida State conducted an investigation into Heisman Trophy quarterback Jameis Winston and the alleged sexual assault he had been accused of from December 2012. Having not found any evidence to slap any punishment on the quarterback, Winston was looking to be in the clear. That may be true, but now the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is opening up another investigation into how Florida State University handled the entire incident.
The federal investigation will review how the university handled not only the Winston accusation, but all sexual abuse incidents and accusations over the past three years, according to a report by FOX Sports. It would seem the federal investigation will want to compare and contrast how Winston’s alleged incident was handled compared to that of a non-football player.
“We’re gratified by these developments,” said Baine Kerr, one of the attorneys for a woman who alleged that Winston raped her at an off-campus apartment in December 2012. A state investigation conducted last year concluded there was not enough evidence to pursue charges of sexual assault against Winston. That decision came days before Winston led Florida State to a victory in the ACC Championship Game against Duke. Soon after that Winston was named the Heisman Trophy winner for 2013 and he went on to lead the Seminoles to the BCS Championship in January.
The Florida State investigation that was conducted found no evidence to slap any university punishments on Winston, but it did result in university charges for Chris Casher and Ronald Darby. Both of those players could be facing expulsion for their ties and actions related to the Winston case.
The university declined to comment in specifics in a statement to USA Today, but said that “generally speaking, students at any time have the right to avail themselves of the Student Code of Conduct, which sets high expectations for the university community and provides a way to adjudicate grievances. The Code of Conduct imposes no time limits on when an aggrieved student may file a complaint or when new information can be considered. The university evaluates all information it receives and acts on it when appropriate.”
Earlier in the day, in a completely unrelated incident, former Seminole Ira Denson was slapped with an extra charge related to a shooting incident from December involving teammate Mario Pender.
It’ been a long day in Tallahassee.